Two Romanian citizens were confirmed to be involved in the train tragedy that occurred in Spain on Wednesday, October 28. One of the two men was a passenger on one of the trains and suffered minor injuries, while the other witnessed the collision and called for help.
Romania’s consul in Ciudad Real and the internal affairs attaché at the Romanian Embassy in Madrid reported traveling to the train accident site in the Spanish province of Toledo to obtain official information regarding the nationality and identity of the deceased and injured persons.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) also stated that the team at the consular office in Ciudad Real had been reinforced with a consul from the Romanian Consulate General in Madrid to help manage operations during the crisis caused by the aforementioned accident.
The team identified a Romanian citizen who was a passenger on one of the two trains involved in the accident.
“The consular office contacted the citizen, who confirmed that he had been injured in the accident and had received medical care. He is not hospitalized but is due to undergo additional medical examinations during the course of today,” MAE stated.
According to the same source, Spanish authorities have not yet notified the Romanian Consulate in Ciudad Real of any Romanian citizens among the victims, and the consular office has not received any requests for consular assistance.
Another Romanian man witnessed the train accident and said he was the first to call for help, according to TVRInfo.
Ioan Dunca was approximately 20 meters from the site where the two trains collided in Spain. He recounted hearing an explosion similar to a bomb and helping passengers get out of the carriages until emergency crews arrived.
“I was 15–20 meters from the train when the accident happened. One train had stopped on the railway at a signal, and another was coming from behind and crashed into it. The locomotives went into each other; there was an explosion, and three carriages flew off to this side because there are two tracks. Three carriages flew off to this side, and the other locomotive flew to the other side of the railway,” the man said.
Dunca called the emergency services and tried to get people out of the trains.
“Here in Spain, in this area, there is wire fencing on one side of the railway and on the other side. When I saw what had happened, I started cutting the wire and getting people out of there. The poor people were getting off the train there, covered in blood, with children. I helped them get out because there is a very steep embankment, and I helped them climb out,” the man added.
At least 68 people died on Wednesday following the collision between two Spanish high-speed trains, and rescue teams are searching through the wreckage for other victims after the second fatal train accident in Spain this year, the deadliest in Europe since 2013.
Romania’s foreign minister said the country was ready to help Spain if needed, while the president and PM issued statements marking the tragedy.
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